Argument Essay Outline

I. Introduction
Thesis: Methane gas is one of the many greenhouse gases that the world needs to be focused on reducing. There are many different ways that greenhouse gases are emitted, but factory farming is something that not only hurts the environment, but can have a negative impact on people’s health. Factory farming needs to be stopped to help reduce global warming and help with the consumption of a higher quality food.

II. Methane gas is very traumatizing to the atmosphere, in addition to other greenhouse gases, in result from factory farming.

A. Methane is twenty times more toxic then carbon dioxide.

B. 60% of global methane emissions are related to human- related resources

III. Factory farming is a major contributor to methane gas emissions.

A. Background

1. what exactly it is

a. a large amount of different animals are confined in one space to achieve the best amount of productivity

2. how it contributes to methane gas

a. air pollution from overuse of machinery, mismanagement of manure, and the feeding practices

B. How are consumers contributing to factory farming?

1. buying leading products in the grocery store

2. not buying foods in the local area

IV. An alternative source to factory farming is organic farming.

A. Organic farming

1. brief description of what it is

a. “ An ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off- farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.”

b. Organic farming is a form of sustainable farming

2. how it is better than Factory farming

a. creates healthier food

b. reduces amount of air and other environmental issues

3. it can make enough to support the food supply

a. 75% of the worlds food is produced by 1.5 billion small farmers

B. Where are organic farms in location to consumers?

1. how easy it is to find organic farms

2. what type of food they have

3. prices will eventually go down once this is the new system of food

C. Environmental impacts

1. what this can do for us in the long run

a. “carbon sinks”

i. natural or man- made

2. what is being done to make the transition

a. Koyto Protocol

b. Carbon Farmers of America

3. individual people can make a difference

a. compost

b. buying organic foods

V. Conclusion

Bibliography

· . Kallen, Stuart. Is Factory Farming Harming America?. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2006.

· Windish, Joe. (2009) The Issues Is Factory Farming, Not Meat Eating. The Moderate Voice. Retrieved from http://themoderatevoice.com/51323/the-issue-is-factory-farming-not-meat-eating/

· "Introduction to Composting". Vegweb. February 7, 2010 .

· "Organic Food Can Feed the World". Signs of the Times. February 22, 2010 .

· "Sustainable Table". GRACE. February 6, 2010 .

· "What are Carbon sinks?". FERN. February 22, 2010 .

· "What are Carbon sinks?". IETA. February 22, 2010 .

Food Inc. Part 3

After reading the final section of Food Inc., I really got the most from Joel Salatin. I think he had a great approach to his writing because it showed how passionate he was. After reading the book and seeing him in the movie you can really tell that he cares and wants to make a change. I think his audience is the new generation of kids. He goes into great detail on how we can get away from the factory farms. He seems to also have an approach of “tough love.” He is not afraid to tell readers that what they have been doing is wrong. He wants people to know this so they make a change that will better themselves. Joel helps with this by bringing in examples and ways to make changes to our daily lives. I completely agree with him when he talks about how society needs to rediscover their kitchens and stop buying prepared foods. Our society moves at such a fast pace that we forget slow down in every aspect of life including what we put into our bodies.

The Marion Nestle chapter was very interesting as well because she admitted to the inconsistence with nutritional advice. She says that there are so many different opinions that it is hard to follow the right one. Her approach is simple; she gives examples of the controversial issues within nutrition science. She is very honest in her writings and it makes her more credible. I think that her audience is the new generation as well. She gives all of these examples on what to do and not to do to stay healthy. I think a great example was when she talked about obesity because that is such a problem today.

Food Inc. was very interesting to read. It really made me rethink the choices that I make when it comes to food. It also showed me that there are many things I can do to be healthier. I think that this is a great book because it shows what is really going on. I think that organic farming will only become more popular. Also things are not going to change unless we, as individuals, make the change.

Position Statement

After looking through the many issues that are related to methane gas, I feel us as a society are responsible and need to make changes. I believe that we need to do whatever it takes to decrease the influence that methane has on our environment. Factory farming needs to be stopped and the world needs to transition to organic farms. I feel that my research has shown me enough information to rule against factory farms. Also after reading Food Inc. it makes my decision even easier. Also, I feel that landfill transition to energy efficient places needs to happen and be more affordable. Individual people need to feel some responsibility in being proactive at homes. I also want to look into more ways that people can be proactive to help prevent this.

Food Inc. Part 2

Reading the second part of Food Inc really opened my eyes to things I didn’t know. The first thing that I was unaware of was the chapter on ethanol. I knew that ethanol was being used as an energy source, but not the many details that went into it. This chapter, once again, had a lot of facts that helped me realize that maybe using ethanol as an “alternative” resource wasn’t the right way. A quote that was shocking to me was, “Even if all the corn grown in America were turned into ethanol, it would supply less than six percent of America’s total oil needs.” This quote was very interesting to me because in the past couple of years people have been talking about ethanol production so much that you would think it would have a greater impact than it does. Also, it was interesting to see that ethanol results in some bad side effects. After reading that chapter I was left convinced not to use ethanol as an alternative source.

A more effective way of changing environmental issues is within farming. Our food is something that is very overlooked in producing negative side effects for the environment. I truly didn’t know the consequences until I started my research on methane gas emissions and the role that factory farming plays in it. The entire issue as a whole is very alarming; people need to see what is actually going on so there will be a change. The part that really opened my eyes was the massive amount of chemicals being used on farms. On page 104, it says that 400 chemicals are used to kill weeds. This means that these chemicals are all present by food. It blows my mind that there are no regulations on this because it effects what people eat. It also made me more interested in organic farms because organic farms don’t use these harmful chemicals. This will cause the food to be safer to everyone.

Finally, Michael Pollan’s chapter in the book really put things in perspective for me. I am one of those people that want these things to be changed, but am really doing nothing about it. I think that I am just one person and I can’t change the world. Pollan makes a great argument in saying that one person can start the change. I think that is a great point, everything that has happened in this world has happened because of someone. After reading that it really made me want to get involved, and showed me that even though I am one person I can make a difference.

Food Inc Part 1

After watching the movie in class, the last thing I wanted to do was eat. The movie was a real eye opener for me. It was something that I figured was going on, but it was one of those things that I really didn’t want to know the details about. I know that sounds wrong, not caring where your food comes from, but at the end of the day I am still going to buy these foods. I think the movie was very beneficial because I was able to see actual what was going on, while the book was good because it gives the facts behind the footage.

The section of the film that I got the most out of was when they were interviewing Barbara Kowalcyk. The fact that her two year old child, Kevin, died from eating meat really opened my eyes. It taught me that we can’t trust the government or food companies to watch out for our safety because at the end of the day all they really want is the profit. The reason that this part of the movie stuck out to me so much was because I have a two year old nice, and I could not even imagine this happening to her. Not only that, but the reality of it is that it can happen to anyone. I think the movie did a great job in telling this story because I was able to see the emotional side of Kevin’s mom. Also, I was able to see home videos of Kevin and that made me want to get involved right away. Also, in other parts of the movie the footage and music helped me stay engaged throughout the film.

The book was very helpful as well because it gave more details. It was nice that in the beginning of each chapter it gave background information on the person or groups that chapter was involved with. I think that gave the film more credibility because they weren’t trying to hide anything. Also, it just made more aware of the people and groups out there that are trying to help us. I think books are very good at giving shocking facts. The book gave many facts that weren’t in the film. One quote from the reading the really got to me was on page sixty two, “To put this growth rate in perspective, the University of Arkansas that if humans grew as fast as today’s chickens, we’d weight 349 pounds by our second birthday.” I think this just puts hoe corrupt this system of farming is. Overall, I liked watching and reading Food Inc. because it has shown me all of the elements that have gone into making it.

OU beyond Coal Panel

Going into the meeting, I had no clue what to expect. Besides reading Lost Mountain I am not really environmental conscious so the panel discussion was a new experience for me. I thought the discussion was very interesting, listening to members of the OU team explaining alternative energy sources. Each person had their own area of study; they were biofuels, ammonia usage, wind energy, and solar power. They all stood up individually to talk about what needs to be done so their alternative source could be a sustainable form of energy and shift away from the usage of coal.

The most interesting speech was by the man who works for Campuses beyond Coal. He went into great detail on how campuses like Wisconsin have shifted away from using coal. When he was talking this sounded like a great idea that every campus should be doing, but then questions were being raised from the audience. After questions were answered I still think it is a great idea, but campuses are only supplied for a short amount of time. They haven’t found ways for them to be ran for the long periods of time.

This panel reinforced the idea that we need to be able to shift away from coal, but it is the matter of having the materials. OU is very lucky because it is one of the few schools that are actually researching ways on how to become more efficient. The panel made me realize that we need to make sure that society is ready for the transition stage away from coal and into the energy efficient power. Another major point is that we need the data to find out if we can actually use these alternative sources or not. I think that OU professors are working hard to find ways to be efficient and move away from coal, but it is going to take more time and resources. Finally, OU is in the process of trying to become an efficient school. We say that in the future we want to stop using coal, but the real question is when? When are we going to be able to make this change to better the environment? The panel made me realize that there is so much more that goes into finding alternative sources then I thought, and it was also nice to see the people behind the scenes working towards this goal.

David Quammen’s Lecture on Charles Darwin

David Quammen’s speech on Darwin was very interesting because it showed me a different side of Darwin that I never knew. Throughout school, I only learned about his theory of evolution, but never about the man behind it. Quammen went into some detail of Darwin’s life from career advances to his married life. David put a lot of emphasis on how Darwin was very honest and cautious throughout his life. He focused on him being honest when he wrote his books and looked at the criticisms of his work. He was also honest in all of his research so people could see the real product. Darwin was also very cautious to publish his book because he knew he was dealing with a very extreme issue. He waited twenty years to actually publish it.

David Quammens speaking style was very relaxed. He made it easy to listen by bringing in jokes and making Charles Darwin an easy person to understand. In the beginning of the lecture, he also pointed out that he didn’t mean to offend anyone in talking about evolution comparing to religious views. Quammen also made the point that Darwin’s book, Origin of Species, is an easy read and that we should all read it. He also made it known by holding up the book for everyone to see.

I think David was a very good speaker. He was able to keep the audience attention by going through Darwin’s life so we understood how he got to his findings. David also seemed legitimate to me because even though he likes Charles Darwin, he was not shy in recognizing Darwin’s faults. I think that is a major point that made Quammen a good speaker. Quammen’s speaking really made a difference in what I got from it. I feel like if it was someone who just stood up there and read off of a paper I wouldn’t have gotten as much out of it. One of the things that caught my attention was Darwin married his cousin Emma!